Geographical information systems (GISs) may deal with large quantities of data. When all available information is displayed, the user interface of the GIS may become cluttered. Nevertheless, if only some of the available information is displayed, security risks may be introduced in GISs used for surveillance or other applications. Some GISs may display clusters, rather than individual points, of data. However, these GISs may still receive and process large quantities of data in order to implement clustering algorithms on the data. Further, clustering graphics may overlap each other or otherwise become difficult to discern, leading to possible user confusion.
Thus, there are general needs for algorithms to reduce the amount of data transmitted to and processed by a GIS system, while retaining situational awareness capabilities.